Fuel-feeding apparatus.



No.;740,'097. -'JY}?ATENTBD SEPT. 29,1903 I -L.K. DAVIS.

v FUEL FEEDING APPARATUS. APPLICATION PILEDJAR. 14, 1202.

10 MODEL.

, v 2 SHEETS-SHEBT 1.

4 PATE NTBDi SEPT. 294 1903; L-K-.DAVIS.V FUEL FEEDING APPARATUS.

APYL IC ATIOX FILED JAE. 1i. 1902.

1030mm. mums-sunk..

.. Lewis-K.

seen-resumeA PARATUSI- Patent-ed September 29, 1903.

DAVIS, or rsomnnrous, INDIANA, ASSIGNbR T GRACE P. DAYIS, OF nnmnnrous,INDIANA.

7 srncrrzcnrron forming part of Letters Patent No. 740,097, datedSeptember 29, 1903;

Applicstio: filed 1m 14, 1902. sesame. 39,721. m model.)

To all whom it may concern: v

Be it known that I, Lewis K. DAVIS, o1n- 'dianapolis, Indiana, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements lHFllOl-Ffiding Apparatus,of which the following is a specification.

' My invention relates to fuel-feeding apparatus for furnaces, but moreparticularlyto apparatus for continuously feeding line fuel, as coal orcoke, coal-d ust, and the like.

The object of any invention is to improve upon the apparatus hithertoemployed for forcing fuel into a furnace and distributing it therein through the agency of iluid under pressure, as air or steam, acting uponthe fuel as itis continuously conveyed to the furnaceentrance.

It has hitherto been customary to either arrange a fluid-jet, as of air,steam, or the like,-

at the furnace-entrance beneath the mouth of the conveyer whichcontinuously delivers fuel to the furnace, thus forcing the fuel intothe furnace directly or carrying it in by suction, or else the fuel hasbeen conveyed into a blower of suitable character, and thus blownintothe furnace. In these cases itis ditlicult to obtain an evendistribution of the fuel on the furnace-bed, for the layer-of fuel isapt to become thicker in some parts than in others. Also one of theobjects of bus utilizing a fluidjetis to mingle the fuel withoxygen-containin g fluid order to increase combustion, and it iscustomary to provide mixing-chambers iineoniiection with the apparatusto thoroughly commingle the fuel and oxygen-containingtiuid beforeintroducing the fuel into the furnace.

My in ention consists, primarily, in so arranging the means forsupplying-fluid under pressure at. the furnaee-entmnce to carry the fuelas it is delivered to the furnace into the same that an c\'endistribution of the fuel is obtained in the furnace and a thoroughcomniingling of the 1' uel and oxygen-containing fluid is securedwithout theucccssil-y of using an auxiliary mixer. a

I have found thatoy forcing fluid, as air or steam, upon the fuel attlefurnace-entrance from difierent directions as the fuel is conveyed tothe furnace these results are accoin;

' nace by anysuitable means and then conveying the fuel beneath saidentering fluid the fuel is carried into the furnace by the action of thef uid and distributed inasubstantially even layer.

lllyinvention further consists in the-appa= ra-tus and construction ofparts hereinafter more fully described and shown in the accompanyingspecification and drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side view of myimproved apparatus, partly in section. Fig. '22 is a plan of the same.Fig. 3 is a plan view, partlyin section, with the upper portion of theconveyer removed. Fig. 4 is a detail of a modified form of nozzle.

Referring to the drawings, A represents a suitable furnace in connectionwith which my improved f uelfeeding apparatus is shown, in this in etauce arranged in front of the furnace, but it may of course be arrangedin any de sired posit-ion relative to the iuanace, as at tending upwardto aplatform 1 by which it may be partially supported.

Any suitable means may be provided within the casing U for continuouslydelivering fuel to the entrance of the furnace; but I prefer the meansshown, consisting of a traveling band, in this instance a band in theform of a traveling screen G, carried upon rollers arrangedtransverselyin the casing C. The roller 1. at the rear of the screen Gmay be cylindrical.jwith a continuousperiphery, as shown; but theforward portion of the screen is prcferablysiipporlcd upon rollers 3 4,havinga space between the same, the object of which will hereinafterappear. The roller 1 and rollers 3 4 are provided with axles 6,-t-heaxle' 5 being suitably journaled, as in the pillars D, while theaxle 6 is shown as journaled in the casing (hand means are pro ided forrotating the rollers 1 and 3 4, a convenient lneaus being the pulleys 78, connected by 'a belt 9 another pulleyll) being shown on the same'shaft with pulley 7 and connected to be driQvenfrom any suitable sourceof pm or. Preferably the axles 5 and i are at dilic cnt levels, asshown, the rear axle being lower than thclhxlo ti, so that the travelingscreen G has a slant backward from the entrance of the furnace, thehighestpoint. being adjacent the furnace-entrance. I I Means areprovided, as a feeder or agitator 11, within the hopper E for regularlyfeeding the fuel to the screen G to be conveyed to the furnace. ".lleansare then provided adjacent the end of-ihe conveyor nearest thefurnace-forsupplying fluid under pressure to carry the fuel into thefurnace and distribute it therein.

1:? represents a source of supply of lluid under pressure, as air orsteam, and pipes 13 and 13 are provided for leadin g the fluid from thesource to 21 point above the portionof the convcycr G nearest thefurnace. As shown,

.pass through the screen.

the fluid is ledthrough a series 'of nozzles 14, preferably extendingacross the furnace-entrance and arranged with their orifices 16 abovethe highest point of the conveyor G, so that the fluid as it passes intothe furnace carries the fuel with it and deposits the fuel on thefurnace-bed. The action of this jet 14 is rather to blow the fueldownward than upward, and because of the backward slantof the convcyeror screen G the supply of fuel is regulated and the suction of the jetdoes not tend to clog the space between the screen and jet. Anotherseries of nozzles 17 are arranged to force liquid through the screen andcarry the fuel into the furnace. As shown,thesc nozzles 17 are arrangedwithin the upper and lower portions of the screen and between rollers 34, so that the fluid may These nozzles 14 and 17, at angles to eachother, serve to thoroughly commingle the fuel and air or steam, for.their directions of discharge intersect, the nozzles l7-blowing directlythrough the fuel and forcing it in an upward direction into the lineofdischarge of the nozzles 14, thecffcctive action of which latter nozzlesis more in the nature of suction. The combined action of the two sets ofnozzles secures even distribution and thorough connningling of fluid andfuel.

It will be seen that witl out the action of' the fluid, or, in otherword with a traveling conveyor or screen ,ir alone arranged, a's shown,no f uel would be fed into the furnace, because the portion of thescreeuncarestthe furnace is at such a distance therefrom that the fuelwould simply drop down into the easing C, so that the fuel is deliveredto the furnace by the co nveyer, but carried info the same by the actionof the fluid under pressure.

In order to remove any fuel which may col lcct in the casing C, a d00r530 is provided therein. Instead of the series of nozzles 14 and 17 acontinuous nozzle 15, as shown in Fig. 4, might be used in place ofeither or both of these.

In order to scour an even layer of substantially. uniform thickness onthe conveyor, a sprcadi n gplate X is provided ,su ppm-ted from thecasing (,as shown, and this plate may have a serrated edge, like a comb.

"Without limiting myself to the precise dc: I

claim- 1. ln an apparatus for feeding fucl,the combination with afurnace, of means for eomcy ing a layer of line fuel thereto, and meansfor forcing lluid upon said f ucl while upon the conveyor to carry itinto the furnace, substantially as described.

2. In an apparatus for feeding fuel,thc combination with a-furnace, ofmcans'forcontinuouslyconvcying'a layer of hue fuel thereto andmeans-forsupplying fluid nnderpressurc tails of construction shown'anddescribed, I

i from different directions to mix with the fuel and to distribute thesame in the furnace, sub

slant-ially as described. 1 Y

3. luau apparatus for feeding f nel,the combination with a furnace, ofmeans for cont-i nuohsly conveying a layer of line fuel thereto,anllmcans for forcing fluid into the furnace above said fuel upon theconveyor to carry' the same into the furnace, substantiallyas dcscribcd.

t. In an apparatus for f ceding fuel,the combination with a furnace, ofmeans for continuously conveying a layer of line fucl'to the en tranceof the furnace, and means for mixing fluid under pressure with said fuelfrom dift'ercnt directions at the cut 'ance of thefurtinuouslydelivering a layer of'fine fuel to the entrance thereto andmeans arranged above the convcyer for supplying fluid under pressure tocarry the fuel from the conveyer into the furnace, substantially asdescribed.

7. In an apparatus for feeding fueLthe comblnation with a furnace, of atraveling screen for conveying fuel to the furnace, and means forforcing fluid through said screen to dis tribute the fuel in thefurnace, substantially as described.

S. In an apparatus for feeding fuel, the combination with a furnace; ofa travclingscrcen for conveying f ucl to the furnace, means for forcingfluid into the furnace fromabove the fuel on the traveling screen, andmeans for forcing fluid through said screen and into the fuel, todistribute the fuel in the furnace, substantially as described.

0. ln anappara us fol-feeding fuel, thecomsure upon the fuel while uponthe screen, sub-.

stantially as described.

10. In an apparatus for feeding fuel, the

combination with a furnacc,]f a traveling 10 hand and means foroperating the same, for

conveying fuel to the furnace, and means actitig upon the fuel on theband for carrying the fuel from said-traveling band into the furnace bythe action of fluid u nder pressure,

substantially as described.

11. In an apparatus for feeding fuel,jthe combination with a furnace, ofa conveyor for delivering fuel to the furnace-entrance, and means forcarrying the fuel from the con- :0 refer into the furnace consisting-offluid-jets arranged above and below the conveyor at theflu'naee-entrance in anguiar relation to each other so that their (1irections oftl iseharge intersect, substantially as described.

'25 12. In an apparatus for feeding fuel, the

combination With'a furnace, of a 4:01) veyer for delivering fuel to theftu'nac'e-entrance, and

means for carrying the fuel fromthe conveyor into theflu'nace,-c0nsisting of fluid-jets arranged at the furnace-entrance inangular re lation to each other so that theindireetious of dischargeintersect, substantially as described.

13. In an apparatus for feeding fuel, the

combination with a furnace, of a conveyer for delivering fuel to the[umace-entrance, and means for carrying the fuel from the eonveyer intothe furnace, consisting of iluidjets'arranged above and below theconveyor at the f urnace-entranee, substantially as described. 40

p 14. In an apparatus for feeding fuel, the combination with a furnace,and a conveyer for delivering fuel to the f urn ave-entrance of afluid-jet for loreing'the fuel t'ronr'the couveyer and another'liuid-jet arranged to act upon the fuel so forced from the conveyer anddistribute said fuel in the furnace, substantially as described.

15. In an apparatus for feeding fueL't-he combination with a furnace, ofa .traveling screen conveyor for delivering fuel to the entrance of 'thefurnace, a fluid -jet arranged abore said eon veyer for carrying thefuel into the furnace and another fluid jetarranged within the upper andlower portions of the 55.

screenalsoiorcarrying the fuel into the furnace, substantially asdescribed.

16. In an apparatus for feeding fuel, the

combination with a furnace, of fuel-convey mg mechanism, means fordistributing ma- 6;"

terial in a layer thereon, and means for foreiug fluid upon said fuelwhile upon the conveyer to carry itinto the furnace, substautially asdescribed.

Signed this 2d day of Jauuar 1901,"at Indianapolis, Indiana.

' r LEWIS K. DAVIS. Witnesses: i

FREDERIC Lam na, DELTA LENSING.

